


Ornithology

by Emixion



Series: Rebel Cause AU [1]
Category: Ever After High, Monster High
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Rebel Cause AU, crackship, i need to let it OUT, this has been living in my hell brain for 3 years now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-12 22:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19238674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emixion/pseuds/Emixion
Summary: In which an unlikely pair walk the line of friends and something else as they discover just how much they have in common.(Or, a series of Raven/Jackson drabbles)





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. I LOVE this pairing and I have for years. The only problem is I’m the only person on Earth who ships it. So I’ve decided to share it with the world

"Excuse me?"

Jackson looks up to meet the violet gaze of a frazzled girl looking at him with questioning eyes. "Can you tell me where I am?"

He softens. The girl must've gotten lost on her way to class. He knows that feeling all too well.

"Oh, this is the English hallway. Do you need help finding your class?" He asks the girl.

"Uhh, no, I mean can you tell me where I am?" She asks nervously.

Jackson's brow furrows and he notices just then the luggage trunk sitting behind the girl.

"Um, Monster High?" He asks, now confused, eyes shifting from the trunk back to the girl. She seems to grow more distressed from this answer.

She opens her mouth and then closes it again, looking around room almost frantically.

Jackson notes how tired and shaken she looks as her wide amethyst eyes survey the area.

"And...where is that?" She asks, still looking around before her eyes flicker back to him, looking apologetic.

"Salem, Oregon." A beat. "It's a high school for monsters. Are you alright, miss?" He asks, now very concerned for this girl.

"I..I'm not supposed to be here." She says slowly. "I don't know how to get back."

"Okay, get back where?" Jackson gently probs. He tries to keep his voice gentle as he speaks to the overwhelmed girl.

"My world...I’m not from this world.”

"Not from this world?" Jackson asks, bewildered. The girl shakes her head.

"Nope, I came through the mirror." She gestures vaguely behind her.

Now this was weird.

"Okay, how about I take you to our headmistress and you can tell her more?" Jackson asks.

The girl nods, cracking a small smile.

"Thank you." She replies, turning to her trunk and to Jackson's surprise and awe, lifting the trunk with a purple glow coming from her hands. Magic.

The girl attempts to move the trunk but it clatters back to floor, making both the teens jump.

"Ah, sorry. Geez I can't focus right now." The girl mutters the last part before rubbing at her temples. He steps closer to her.

"It's alright. We can come back for that later. I promise no one will steal it." He reassures.

The girl nods, thanking him again.

"I'm Raven, by the way." She says extending a hand for him to shake.

Raven.

The name dances in his brain.

"I'm Jackson." He says, taking her hand and shaking it.

Raven smiles, bigger this time and he finds it contagious.

"Nice to meet you."


	2. Truth

They’re in the library when she decides to talk about it. 

She’s been here a few weeks now, all moved into the dorms and adjusting smoothly. No one here knows anything about her past and it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s nice, though the trauma of her past still weighs on her mind and it’s difficult keeping it bottled up, even for her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Her voice is quiet when she asks. Jackson is without a doubt the person she is closest to in Salem. Through all of the chaos she considers him her first real friend here. He looks over at her.

"Of course." His response is so immediate that it makes her blink.

"It’s...hard to talk about. And I don’t really want a lot of people knowing.” 

"I won’t tell anyone. Cross my heart.” He actually does for emphasis.

“You probably won’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

Raven blinks again, surprised by his willingness to listen. She’s just not used to it. She takes a deep breath, opening her mouth and then closing it again.

“I...don’t even know where to start. Okay so, you know how I’m from a different world?”  
_________________________________

It’s quiet once she finishes telling the story. Though she spared a few of the gory details, she mostly told him everything. Her mom, her destiny, the rebellion, she’s almost dizzy with relief at finally getting it all out.

His expression is concern, maybe a bit of horror, but no malice, no disgust or judgement. He takes a second to absorb everything she’s said. 

“Raven?” His voice finally breaks the silence.

“Yeah?” She replies hoarsely. 

“Can I hug you?”

She’s so caught off guard by the question that she almost says no, but she decides she really wouldn’t mind a hug from him right now and she nods.

He slowly wraps his arms around her, hugging her gently. She doesn’t hug back at first, just sits in his arms, the feeling so foreign.

“You have to be the strongest person I’ve ever met.” He whispers in her ear. “I’m so glad you got out of there.”

She lets out a tiny gasp, hugging him back.

“Thank you.” She says, and the emotion behind it makes him hug her a little tighter.

It’s the first time she’s cried in front of someone in years.


	3. Collaborate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my lovely girlfriend for beta reading.

"The project is due in two weeks. You may pick your partners now."

Jackson is not usually the type of person to work in pairs or groups for a project, he has his own system of doing things, and just prefers to work alone. Not to mention the rarity of someone wanting to be his partner.

He's not sure why, but as soon as Mr. Hack says it, Jackson's eyes immediately flick over to Raven, and he's delighted to find that she's done the same from her spot a few seats away.

 He's been hanging out with her a lot lately, ever since she arrived they've been crossing paths quite a bit. They have a few of the same classes, and usually sit together at lunch.

She's kind, and easygoing. His anxious mind seems to calm in her presence, so though he typically works alone, he decides he shouldn't for a change. He comes back to his senses as she is making her way over.

 She slides into the seat next to him with a smile, the one that he can't help but mirror when he sees it.

 "Partners?" She asks.

"Partners." He nods.

 Raven pulls out a sheet of paper, scribbling both of their names on it.

"I'm probably not the best person to work with, since I didn't even know this subject existed until recently." She says sheepishly, her nose scrunching and her cheeks turning the palest of pink. "You're terrible at picking partners."

 Jackson laughs, setting his notes down in between them.

"I think you'll do just fine, Raven." He assured her, "I'm happy to have you as my partner."

Honestly, he could do all of the work and still be happy, but he knew Raven would do her best. He admires that about her.

 She seems a bit surprised, but a bashful smile tugs at her lips nonetheless.

 "Me too." She says quietly, her gaze dropping to the desk.

 The conversation drifts to the project, ideas being thrown, some scribbled onto the page while others were thrown out completely. By the time the bell rings, they have a topic picked.

 "This should be a good start, right?" Raven asks, grabbing her bag. Jackson just nods.

 "This is plenty." He tells her as they walk out of the classroom together, conversing casually.

 "Hey," Jackson begins, "Would you wanna come over today to work on the project?"

 She gets that surprised look again, he's noticed she usually does this when anyone shows her any sort of friendliness. It breaks his heart.

 "Sure." She replies after a moment, snapping out of her frozen state. "I'll meet you out front after school?"

 He smiles, giddiness overtaking him, but he did not understand why.

 "Sounds good. See you then." He says, his grin ever apparent.

 They part ways with an unspoken sort of lightness, both in a better mood, thanks to the other.


End file.
